Patience
by Cupcakegirl18
Summary: With the Khardins attacking Narnia there is no time to waste in plans, but when one of their own royals is kidnapped from the castle, can they rescue them before it is too late? Please review.


**Patience**

Lucy walked gently towards her brother's room, her feet freezing with every step on the cool floor. She cradled the candle in her hand as she heard her brother's cries from inside the room.

She had heard them before but never had she gone into his room. When she had asked him in the morning over breakfast he simply denied everything.

This time she wasn't going to be afraid, she was going to see him, help him.

His bedroom door loomed over Lucy, giving her a chill as the darkness reflected from her mind. She was about to turn back when she heard him cry out once more. She had to do something. She pushed through the door and ran straight to his bedside. Edmund was twisting and turning sharply in his bed, crying out as he did so. Lucy placed the candle on his bedside table and knelt down beside him as pure horror melted her face. She watched as he whimpered in his sleep and convulsed his body against the protection of his bed. Worried, she placed her cool hand over his forehead and felt the sweat that dripped from his body. His head stopped shaking at her touch and began to relax. Lucy slowly let her hand fall back down to her side as she too relaxed as he did.

Suddenly, Edmund murmured muffled words and his face began to scrunch up in pain. In a shot, his eyes flashed open and he sat up with a gasp making Lucy jump with fear. He gasped for air until his heart stopped pounding in his ears and he was back in the room. It was just a dream. He didn't notice Lucy kneeling beside him until she placed a comforting arm on his wet shoulder. He lowered his head down as he realised she must have heard him.

Slowly, he turned his head towards Lucy who still looked terrified. Edmund hated the thought that he caused fear in his little sister.

"Sorry," he croaked out still catching his breath. Lucy's expression changed from fear to understanding as she climbed onto his bed and sat comfortingly close to him. Lucy knew what he was dreaming of. What lied deep in the dark corners of his mind and that would forever haunt him in the same dream night after night. Only when he truly forgave himself and let go of the past could it be wiped from his conscience.

"It's not your fault Edmund. You've done nothing wrong." Edmund's head hung once more. It was his fault, he had done something wrong. Everything was his fault.

"Listen to me." Lucy said but Edmund couldn't face her.

"It was the White Witch. Not you." Edmund didn't believe that, she was only saying it to make him feel better. Everyone knew it was his fault.

Exhausted, Edmund laid back into Lucy's arms, finding more comfort there then than he ever had.

"I'm sorry," he began to sob quietly.

"I'm so sorry." He cried in her arms unashamed until he fell asleep unwillingly. Then it was Lucy's turn to cry. She let the tears that had been welling in her eyes dribble down her cheeks. She hated this. What that witch had done to her brother. She hugged him closer to her as she listened to his soft breathing, he was calm. Her tears fell down her cheeks and splashed onto her nightgown as the darkness of the room drifted in and out of the candle light.

The next morning Lucy woke up to find that Edmund was missing from her side. She figured he must have gotten up early and walked over to her own room to get dressed. She changed into her dark trousers and white blouse that was covered with her brown waist coat that she loved to stroke and feel the way the material became flattened by her touch. She slopped on her boots and quickly tied back her waved mess of hair and set off to the dining room where breakfast had probably already been served. Lucy glared at the clock as it showed her that she had slept nearly all of the morning away. Everyone was most likely out of the castle and doing something useful by now.

But to her surprise as she rushed into the dining hall Edmund and Caspian were still having their breakfast.

"Morning." Caspian said in a cheerful voice as Lucy sat down on one of the wooden chairs that were dotted around the large table. Caspian sat at the foot of the table and Edmund next to him his hair ruffled with sleep and his eyes heavy.

"Sleep well?" Caspian asked. Lucy hesitated and looked to Edmund opposite her who shook his head a little, no.

"Yes." She lied and helped herself to some toast from the middle of the table.

"Good," Caspian said because I'm afraid your stay here may be longer than we thought. The Khardins are swarming the land like insects so you're going to have to stay and fight this out with us." Lucy nodded her understanding.

Her and Edmund were staying at Caspian's caste whilst they were in Narnia, nowhere else was safe because of the Khardins. The Khardins were people that were trying to purify Narnia and arrest anyone that didn't suit to their standards. They were like the Nazis of Narnia.

Lucy didn't really know what being pure meant. But Caspian had explained to her once that they took any animals that might be seen to be a threat to the land, anyone that had caused trouble or who had parents that had been in trouble. They were even taking children that believed differently to them.

Caspian had arranged a meeting with their leader, Gargon, who wanted Caspian's permission for all of this to happen and more, and of course Caspian refused. Now they still plague Narnia with their existence and smuggle away those who are not pure and place them in a cell until they are exposed of. Caspian has been planning the capture of them for weeks now but is getting no closer.

"I want to find where they are keeping the prisoners and laying out their plans before I start my attack. So if you'll excuse me there is a lot I need to do." and he stood from his chair and walked gracefully out of the room.

Edmund and Lucy sat in silence for a while. Lucy watched Edmund as he stared down at his breakfast that had now become cold. His face was worryingly pale and his eyes large with thought and disturbance.

"Edmund." Lucy whispered. He didn't move.

"Edmund." She said louder and slowly he turned his head to face her. He looked tired and almost dead like. He gave her half a smile before leaving the table himself and heading quickly out the door. Lucy's mouth opened and closed as she tried to think of what she could say to get him to come back but the door shut firmly with a deep sound, causing Edmund to become lost from her.

Lucy threw down her napkin on the table and marched out of the room, surprised by her own fury and determination that she had to help her brother. But as she stepped out of the room the castle offered her many ways in which Edmund could have gone. Frustrated Lucy tried frantically to think of where her brother might have gone. Then it hit her.

She picked up her pace as she went out of the castle and into the yard. Her feet unable to keep up with her anxious mind, began to go faster and faster until they were running down the path and into the glorious field of green grass that warmed the castle garden. At the very end of the field was a long wall, separating the castle from the rest of the world.

Lucy squinted in the sun light as she saw a small figure sitting on top of the wall, looking out onto the scene before them. She smiled to herself as she knew she was right. She ran down the field as fast as her legs could carry her until she reached the brick wall and on top of it, Edmund.

He hadn't been spooked by her presence and didn't move from his position or even turn around to see her.

"Beautiful, isn't it." He said as he looked on to the sky that was surrounding the stranded sun. Lucy climbed clumsily up the wall to sit at his side.

"Yes, I suppose it is." She said. She now knew why Edmund liked to come here so often. It was so picturesque and peaceful. The whole village like a model set below you, instantly forcing your mind to reel over the possible events that weave in and out of the streets.

The wind brushed across Lucy's face giving her a cool satisfaction. She sighed deep before looking at her brother. She saw his face side on and saw the peace that came with it as he watched the world flutter by. She wanted to talk to him, to tell him that she understood, that she would help him to put this behind him.

"Edmund," she began but he interrupted her.

"One of the cleaners is gone." He said simply.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked confused.

"She's gone, disappeared over night. Just like that." This got Lucy's attention on something else. And as always, it was bad.

"It was the Khardins." He spat out.

"You don't know that." Lucy tried to reassure him but he shook his head at her.

"No it was, of course it was. People have been disappearing like that everywhere and now they've finally got into the castle." They were both silent for a while the same thing on their minds.

"They'll come for me now." He said a slight quiver in his voice.

"Edmund they won't, they wouldn't dare touch you, and you're their king."

"Why not? They already disobeyed Caspian and took a cleaner right from under our nose. And I betrayed everyone. They'll take me away."

"Stop saying that!" Lucy shouted at him a tear burning her cheek.

"They won't take you! I won't let them! You're staying here with me! They're not going to take you!" Edmund pulled the hysterical Lucy in close to him and hugged her.

"Ok, ok." He said realising just what influence he had on Lucy's emotions. He hadn't noticed how he was tangling Lucy into his problems as well.

"I'm not going anywhere." He squeezed her tight as her shoulders shook and her tears fell wet on his shirt.

It was five o'clock before they entered the castle, their hairs ruffled with wind and their cheeks rosy. They had watched the world whilst making up their own tales of what was happening in the village. Edmund would always make up the most ludicrous of scenes and Lucy laughed so hard she nearly fell off of the wall. Twice.

Neither one of them thought of the White Witch whilst they ran through the trees of the forest and bounded down the hills. Nor had they feared the Khardins when they pressed their faces against every sweet shop and wondered of its contents.

They laughed their way through the castle until they found Caspian and a few other staff talking around a small table. A sheet of paper lying on top of it, curling at its corners.

"What's going on?" Edmund asked sensing the dark feeling rippling through the room.

"A Butler is now missing." Caspian said gloomily.

"We cannot ignore it now. They're here. The Khardins are getting in the castle." Lucy looked to Edmund who had gone completely white like the snow in the cold and harsh winters. Lucy reached out and held his hand and was relieved as he curled his fingers against hers.

"We're going to have to double the guards around the castle and move our plans forward." Caspian ran his fingers through his hair.

"I need that location of their hide out." he exclaimed before turning to Edmund and Lucy.

"You two better wash up for dinner it will be ready soon and don't worry about any of this. We'll sort it." Caspian and the staff left the room and Edmund immediately darted to the paper. It was a list of the kind of people the Khardins would take away. His eyes stopped on the one that read 'those who have shamed Narnia' and underneath it, 'those who have betrayed Narnia'. Shock began to run through his blood and Lucy saw it. She tried to calm him and placed her hand on his shoulder. But Edmund jolted out of the room and threw the paper on the floor. He ran straight for his room and slammed the door shut. And Lucy was left again with a wall between her and her brother.

Edmund never came to dinner and it scared Lucy to think of him alone and afraid. She wanted to be there for him and to help him but he always went all big brother on her and tried to do it all on his own.

Lucy went to bed worried and flipped over in her bed a thousand times as her mind fried with questions and concerns. When suddenly something hit her hard like a blow to the stomach.

She couldn't hear Edmund stirring.

Lucy ran through the castle as fast as she could. The cool air grasping her back as her nightgown flowed down her body. With just the candle in her hand to light her way she tried her best to keep it alight whilst still making good time. Everyone was asleep throughout the castle except for Lucy and the mice that scurried desperately out of her way as she continued to dart through the hall until she reached Caspian's room. She hesitated before knocking on the large wooden door. Louder and louder her knocks grew as Caspian didn't answer her knock. She stepped back annoyed before pushing the door open and running straight to Caspian's bed. Caspian lay asleep in his warm bed dreaming of sweet dreams that he would soon forget in the morning.

"Caspian!" Lucy shook him awake.

"Caspian wake up!" Caspian groaned before sitting up.

"What is it Lucy?" he asked annoyed.

"It's Edmund!" Lucy said between pants.

"He's gone!" Caspian's head snapped out of his dream and he flipped off his covers and made haste towards Edmunds bedroom with Lucy at his heels.

He barged through into Edmunds bedroom and found no sign of his younger friend.

"Edmund!" he shouted but no answer came.

"Edmund!" he shouted again but still the castle was silent. He turned to Lucy.

"I want you to search the west of the castle and then meet me in the court yard. I'm going to go search the east of the castle." Lucy nodded, fear pulsing through her veins. She began to walk away before she paused and turned back towards Caspian. The question chewed on her mind, she couldn't bare not to ask.

"You don't think it's…. them, do you?" Caspian looked at her his face unsure. He wanted so badly to tell her that Edmund had probably just gone for a walk but he couldn't be sure. She rushed through the west side of the castle calling her brother as she did so. With no sign of Edmund she ran into the courtyard to meet Caspian. She prayed in her mind that he would appear with Edmund but when he came towards her he was alone, now changed into his battle gear. Her hopes began to sink.

"He's not here." Caspian said anger rising in his voice. Tears began to well up in Lucy's eyes as she tried to push the dark image of what might be of her brother from her mind.

"They've got him."


End file.
